Οι αριθμοί (The numbers) 201-1,000,000,000

Let’s take one last look at counting in Modern Greek – this time, all the way up to a billion!

You should be feeling confident counting from 1-200. You can get a refresher by watching the videos in Lina’s playlist (approx. 25 mins total):

Gender and numbers

Remember that the numbers 1, 3, and 4 have more than one gender:

As Lena explains in the final video in her series, just like 1, 3, and 4, the numbers 200, 300, etc. up to 1,000 also have three genders:

Note that when counting, the neuter version of numbers is used (in bold).

Now, take a look at the higher numbers on page 52 of Ελληνικά Τώρα (Greek Now) 1+1, and listen along to the audio file on the Nostos website.

Thousands

Like most countries, and scientists across the globe, Greece uses the metric system.

The standard international unit of weight is the kilogram (i.e. 1000 grams).

You may also be familiar with the kilometer (i.e. 1000 meters).

The prefix kilo- is related to the Greek word for thousand: χιλιάδες.

In fact, the Greek word for ‘kilometer’ is χιλιόμετρο.

Millions

The word εκατομμύριο (million) is a compound of εκατό (hundred) + μύριοι (myriad).

You may have heard the word ‘myriad‘ used in English to simply mean a multitude.

But in Greek, μύριοι isn’t just a turn of phrase, it’s precisely defined: 10,000.

And εκατό (100) x μύριοι (10,000) = 1,000,000!

Billions

Similarly, δισεκατομμύριο (billion) is a compound of δίσ– (twice) + εκατομμύριο (million).

This word is a translation of the word ‘billion’, which can similarly be broken down into bi– (twice) + million.

The word ‘billion’ has two possible definitions:

1. long scale: 1,000,000,000,000 (a million million)
2. short scale: 1,000,000,000 (a thousand million)

While the first of these definitions makes the most sense (as is a million raised to the power of two (i.e. bi)), it is considered dated, and the second definition is more common.

In Greek, too, δισεκατομμύριο typically refers to 1 followed by 9 zeroes: 1,000,000,000 (a thousand million).

Zero

Speaking of zeros… the Greek word for ‘zero’ is μηδέν. It comes from the Ancient Greek word for ‘nothing’. Notice how similar it is to the words μη(ν) and δεν, both of which are used to negate things?

The concept of nothingness as a number was quite controversial in Ancient Greece, with both religious and philosophical objections. But gradually, through the influence of Babylonian mathematics, the letter omicron (o) was adopted – which of course looks quite similar to the 0 we use today.

For a quick revision, check out the Greek Language Project’s video on counting from 0 to a billion:

Now, if you have a conversation partner, try asking one another Πόσα χιλιόμετρα it is between various Greek cities using the sample dialogue and chart in exercise 5 of Λοιπόν, τι λες (Well, what do you say?). Otherwise, simply try reading the numbers in the chart out loud.

Note that χιλιόμετρο is neuter, so you can simply use the familiar neuter version of all numbers.